As an athlete, playing in a losing environment can really take a toll on players in a team sport.
Although it's hard to say one player is the reason for losing, St. Louis Blues forward slugged out some tough years in Buffalo from 2014-2018, despite being considered one of the better and most underappreciated centres in the league.
O'Reilly made headlines during his final exit meeting in Buffalo for when he said he lost a bit of passion for hockey after a third straight season of not even coming close to sniffing the playoff cutoff line.
But after a big trade that sent him to St. Louis, O'Reilly found another level in his game, posting 77 points (28 goals, 49 assists) in 82 games, before adding 23 points in 26 games as the Conn Smythe winner on route to the Blues' Stanley Cup victory.
Speaking on the "Hockey Sense Podcast" with Andy Strickland, O'Reilly said that lifting that cup over his head changed his perspective.
"I think it's completely revamped my entire hockey career," O'Reilly said on the "Hockey Sense Podcast" with Andy Strickland.
"In the NHL, never really getting a good taste of winning and never winning a playoff series and then coming here (St. Louis) and you win the ultimate hockey goal. It completely changed that part of me to be now known as a winner."
O'Reilly continued his stronger play this season, where he amassed 61 points (12 goals, 49 assists) in 71 games.
Pegged as the top seed in the Western Conference in the regular season, the Blues are built to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions.
"It's been amazing but also getting a taste of it, you want to do it again and when you look at our team, we're going to have another opportunity to do that so there's a lot of excitement there."
St. Louis will compete against Colorado, Vegas and Dallas for the number one playoff seed in the Western Conference after the opening round.
(h/t The Score)
